


you are the moon, the guidance in the night

by snakebait



Series: reverse monster au [2]
Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, but its fine I promise, same with taekwoon, werewolf!jaehwan, witch!wonshik, yongguk is there for like 4 seconds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-29 23:32:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18788494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snakebait/pseuds/snakebait
Summary: “My name is Jaehwan,” the man says when Wonshik turns back to him, a little too close for comfort. Wonshik falls back, sitting flat on the ground with a face full of the werewolf whose teeth are very sharp too but his eyes are wide, cute almost and Wonshik finds that he doesn’t really mind how close they are.





	you are the moon, the guidance in the night

It wouldn’t be strange to assume that the smell of potions and remedies brewing would make someone sick. It would irritate one’s nose, clog their senses and make them dizzy. All the spices and ingredients should make one sick but for Wonshik, it brings a comfort like nothing else.

  


He is the town’s healer, a travelling merchant of sorts but he landed a job here in a quaint religious town and it made him stay against all odds. There’s always something for him to do, someone for him to help and it’s rejuvenating to watch someone heal from his remedies or from his magic. He’s speculated to be a witch of sorts but he’s done nothing to hurt anyone even if he was and it’s refreshing to know that he is trusted, especially by the church. Witches aren't a trusted sort but it’s been a long time since they were burned at the stake and Wonshik doesn't want to bring that back into fashion.

  


Ginger is one of his favourite spices and as he minces it up to throw it into Taekwoon’s sleeping remedy, he smiles. He hopes this one will work for the priest since he’s altered it to be more suited to Taekwoon’s stresses and fears rather than keeping the remedy general for the population. Hakyeon came to him for what felt like the thousandth time, telling him that he gave Taekwoon a lavender candle which helped somewhat and Wonshik incorporated that scent into his remedy as well, since it seems suited to Taekwoon’s tastes.

  


Because that’s what he does, when he’s not called elsewhere. He cares for the town that made him stay, gave him an income and a roof over his head. He’s fond of Hakyeon and Taekwoon, the priests from the cathedral and he’s fond of the way the town shuts up shop after six in the evening to protect themselves from the creatures of the night. Wonshik doesn’t bother to lock his doors. The ghouls don’t bother him much; they seem more attracted to the cathedral and who’s inside.

  


Wonshik has often spied the ghouls trudging up the street through his window. None of them bother him, really, as if they can sense the magic coursing through his home and his veins. Most monsters can but ghouls are hardly a threat. They are humans without souls, lost and wandering and all Wonshik can do is watch. He cannot heal them and it used to pain him but it only brings him indifference now. It is very rare that there is nothing Wonshik can do for someone but when it comes to ghouls, he’s given up trying.

  


He’ll never forget the time the town was attacked by werewolves. Taekwoon had been furious with him, unconvinced that Wonshik had truly slept through the worst of the attack. He had come straight to the cathedral when he woke up, helping all that he could whilst Hakyeon took his orders without another word. Taekwoon almost kicked him in the face in anger but Wonshik did everything that he could, saving who was injured and almost dying and for that, Taekwoon had been grateful.

  


He said that it must have been a testament of how poor Wonshik was at his job but it is far from it. Wonshik knows he is good at what he does. People would not trust him if he wasn’t. He would not pride himself if he was not good.

  


He brews enough remedy to last Taekwoon a month whilst he’s gone. He has plans and there will be a full moon soon. Instead of letting the werewolves come to him, he wants to go to them. They won’t attack him, for he is another supernatural being in a way and if there is anything he can do to help, he will do it.

  


He drops off Taekwoon’s remedies in the early morning, unsurprised to find the priest still awake and prays to his spirits that this one will work for him.

  
  


***

  
  


The hike through the woods is exhausting but Wonshik is in good health and good frame of mind. It’s exhausting in the best way possible, the way his muscles burn and from the woods, he can still see the church from here. Unfortunately, he spent too long without them so he’s had to wear his glasses to readjust his eyes to the normal daytime light. If he doesn’t, the night vision spell he casts later will ruin his eyesight and leave him with blurry eyes for some hours.

  


For now, he rests on a rock and lays down his bag, keeping to himself. There are some witches nearby that he can sense and their passing magic makes his blood sing distantly. They reply and Wonshik closes his eyes, comforted by the fact that should he be in danger, there are others like him that will come to his aid.

  


It’s still a few days before the full moon and when the sun begins to set, Wonshik begins to set up his camp for the night. He casts out his senses to watch for anything around him and a simple tent is good enough for him on the side of the woods. He can sense some wolves nearby as well as rising ghouls but he isn’t scared. Ghouls don’t bother him and the full moon isn’t for a few more days. There isn't much reason for one of them to attack.

  


He sets up a fire easily, just for warmth since the winter is closing in quickly and sets out his remedies. He could probably brew a few more wolfsbane if he wanted to but maybe not during the night. It would attract other beasts and he isn’t prepared well enough for them. For now, he’d rather enjoy the silence with the slow cracking of the fire in front of him as he warms his tea.

  


There’s rustling around him and he’s lucky he didn’t bring his senses back to himself or he wouldn’t have heard it. There’s no reason for him to be afraid and he closes his eyes to visualise the area, finding a small gathering of wolves further in front of him but if they sense him, they don’t care much. They don’t advance towards him and he’s grateful for it but opens his eyes to return to the fire when he hears something a lot closer.

  


It’s a lone wolf to the left of him and he sees it further in the woods, its yellow eyes gleaming in the dark at him. Wolves can smell fear and Wonshik has handled enough werewolves to know how to act around them. There’s no fear between them, only mild curiosity and the wolf sniffs once, dropping to the ground and crawling forward through the undergrowth.

  


Wonshik smiles in surprise, chuckling at the cute act and he feels his heart lighten when the wolf’s tail raises and wags a little. Just like a common dog, actually. There’s no reason for Wonshik to be afraid and it’s a good thing he likes dogs to begin with.

  


He has nothing to offer the wolf but there’s a low growl suddenly, startling the wolf. It rises quickly and runs before anything more can escalate, further into the woods and out of Wonshik’s range. The other wolves from before sense the wolf’s departure and move as well, towards the sounds and it leaves Wonshik is the darkness, his senses not reaching as far as he’d like. The wolf seems to be a loner and in the presence of a pack, it’s easy for it to be scared. These woods are home to two packs, the scuffling usually resulting in territory wars but nothing more. They don’t trouble the town where Wonshik resides, really. They know their place. 

  


Wonshik takes a breath and decides he needs more information before he does anything. He’s experienced with all kinds of creatures but there’s nothing a little more information won’t help with. He leaves his tent and scuffs out the fire as best as he can, turning and making his way to one of the witches nearby, hoping that they’re friendly enough to take him in for the night.

  
  


***

  
  


“The wolves?”

  


The witch in question is Yongguk, someone Wonshik has met before but never interacted much with. He was kind enough to often a place for Wonshik to stay in the neighbouring town since he knows the woods better than Wonshik.

  


“There’s two packs, yes.” Yongguk is in the process of making wolfbane as they talk and Wonshik offers to help, something that pleases the witch greatly. “They don’t have a name but one is a family pack whilst the other is a pack of loners. There are a few that come and go. You must have encountered the family pack. They’re very protective.”

  


“The loners don’t mind so much?”

  


“Hardly. They’re a pack of previous loners so they shelter other rogues and loners for as long as they need. Wolves are built on the same morals; they value family the most but it doesn’t have to be blood.”

  


“You talk like you know them,” Wonshik muses to which Yongguk smiles back and nods. It’s not surprising, since he lives around the woods, that he would be familiar with the packs or even some of their members.

  


“The loners are more friendly and they take in newer wolves that are yet to have their first turning. It’s a painful experience and I assist in anyway I can. I’m assuming you are no stranger to that.”

  


Wonshik has been called to action a few times to help with newer wolves and their turning. He can only aid so much; a wolf’s turning is dangerous and horrific to say the least, especially for their first time and werewolves as old as twenty-one can have their first turning at that age but it’s uncommon. Even if a wolf has been turning since they were young, it can still be painful.

  


He and Yongguk pack up after a while and Wonshik warns Yongguk of his snoring before he goes. Yongguk can’t help but laugh at him and informs him that it’s rare that he sleeps anyways and they bid each other goodnight.

  


Wonshik falls asleep to the distant moaning of ghouls and the much closer howling of werewolves welcoming the clear night as their saviour.

  
  


***

  
  


Yongguk hands him some supplies before he leaves and Wonshik thanks him profusely, the elder witch laughing as he stumbles out into the cold morning. His cloak almost gets caught in the door but Yongguk bids him farewell without much more error and Wonshik returns to his camp easily, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

  


The wind messed his tent a little but it’s nothing he didn’t expect but what does startle him is the  _ man _ inside his tent, surrounded by his blankets and sleeping soundly. He’s cold, shivering underneath it all and Wonshik is grateful that he packed extra clothes because the man is -- naked.

  


Wonshik shakes his head when his senses as assaulted by the unmistakable scent of  _ dog _ and he doesn’t know how he knows but this man is the wolf from last night. He can tell, somehow and Wonshik leaves his bag with the camp, leaving the man to sleep off the effects of last night. It’s no doubt that the werewolf’s abilities are enhanced by the coming full moon and he might be in pain from the simple turning of last night but it’s nothing short of preparation. Some werewolves turn weeks before the full moon and don’t return back to their human forms so that their pain isn’t as prominent.

  


He’s lucky to find some berries that Yongguk mentioned to him and he smiles when he spots strawberries, Taekwoon’s favourite. Maybe he could make something more useful for him out of his favourite fruit and flavour. He doesn’t take too many lest he upset someone or one of the loner wolves whose territory he’s on and after a while of picking and gathering dry sticks and such, he returns to his camp to find the man slowly waking up.

  


When he sees Wonshik, he startles and begins to apologise but Wonshik shakes his head, squatting by the fire and handing him a little plastic mug of tea to keep him warm. They don’t speak much and the man finishes the tea off cautiously, still wary.

  


“There will be a full moon soon,” Wonshik says when the man touches the clothes next to him with a frown. He’s handsome, to say the least, with pretty eyes despite them being yellow and a straight nose, bigger than most but he’s beautiful. His brown hair is messy and not without a few small twigs but his scent isn’t dirty. He smells like the nature around him and only now does Wonshik recognise the claws on his very human fingers, black and sharp, glinting in the early morning light.

  


“You don’t have to do this,” the man says quietly but he puts the shirt on, not bothering to wait for Wonshik to turn around as he shimmies into the pants too. Wonshik’s cheeks flush a little but when he looks back, the man looks just like a common town boy only much, much prettier.

  


“It’s nothing,” Wonshik manages, sorting his berries out just to distract himself. “You’re a werewolf, I assume. That’s why I’m here.”

  


“To help?” The man tilts his head like a intrigued dog. Wonshik nods, keeping his smile to himself. “You’re a witch, then. Like Yongguk?”

  


Wonshik nods again, glancing at the man when he squats down next to him and quickly figures out the pattern in which Wonshik is sorting the berries. He helps and Wonshik’s task is finished in half the time, the man even helping to slip the berries into bottles so Wonshik can carry them easily.

  


“My name is Jaehwan,” the man says when Wonshik turns back to him, a little too close for comfort. Wonshik falls back, sitting flat on the ground with a face full of the werewolf whose teeth are very sharp too but his eyes are wide, cute almost and Wonshik finds that he doesn’t really mind how close they are.

  


“Wonshik,” he answers, dumbly offering his hand. Jaehwan looks at it for a moment before grinning wide and shaking it. He looks like a kid, happy as can be and innocent and Wonshik smiles back at him, the threat of his claws non-existent to either of them.

  


There’s scuffling around, a few sticks breaking and Jaehwan’s head turns so quickly his neck cracks but he isn’t bothered. He still holds Wonshik’s hand, taking a deep breath and pulling away slowly. He stands to his full height, tall and a little skinny but otherwise in good shape before turning to Wonshik again.

  


“Will you be here tonight? The full moon is in two days.” His eyes are wide, unblinking and glowing but they aren’t full of fear. If he had ears in this form, they’d be alert and pricked up.

  


Wonshik nods once, standing up to dusts off his pants. Jaehwan watches him move and steps forward to take Wonshik’s cloak in his hand, shoving his nose into it whilst Wonshik frowns at him for a moment but the deep inhale that follows answers his questions. If Wonshik moves throughout the day, Jaehwan needs his scent to remember him and find him should he be gone in the evening.

  


Jaehwan pulls away, his cheeks a little pink but he smiles and Wonshik hopes his hearing isn’t good enough to hear his heart rate speed up. Jaehwan isn’t wearing shoes but he sets off into the woods, glancing back occasionally to Wonshik and when they make eye contact, they wave shyly. Once he’s gone, Wonshik squats back down and puts his hands in his face.

  


The full moon is coming and Wonshik dreads it.

  
  


***

  
  


Jaehwan is a lone wolf. He belongs nowhere and has been running for years. He’s young, a year older than Wonshik and was born a werewolf. He says that full moon turnings aren’t as painful as his first but it still hurts. He likes to turn the day of the full moon so it’s not as forceful.

  


“It feels like- like white hot burning through your chest,” Jaehwan says quietly when Wonshik asks how it feels to transform. “Your bones crack and move through your body. They grow and everything feels like it’s breaking and healing at the same time. It’s… When you’re younger, it hurts more but your body doesn’t have to change much in terms of size. My form as a wolf is bigger than most and my body has to accomodate for that.”

  


“Did you change with your family?” Wonshik’s question is soft. Jaehwan shifts closer to him in the dark, into his warmth despite the fire in front of them. They’ve been talking for hours since Jaehwan came back to him.

  


“With my brothers,” Jaehwan answers quietly, reserved. Wonshik doesn’t push it and Jaehwan is grateful for it, leaning his head on Wonshik’s shoulder for comfort. The night is quiet around them, pleasing and Wonshik relaxes into Jaehwan’s presence, an easy smile on his face.

  


“The full moon is tomorrow,” Wonshik says after a while. “Will you come back to me during it?”

  


“I might kill you.” Jaehwan sits up, wiggling his bare toes close to the feet so they don’t freeze. “I don’t think I should come back. It might take some time for me to come back.”

  


Wonshik doesn’t ask him to come back. There’s no point in it, not when both of them could be in danger. It’s not wise and Wonshik won’t push him. “I won’t be afraid of you,” he says instead and the smile Jaehwan gives him warms his heart.

  


Wonshik hands him wolfsbane before they decide to sleep for the night. Jaehwan has nowhere to return to and Wonshik is long since past his days of being awkward with someone. Jaehwan is comfortable, to say the least, and if it helps him in the slightest before the full moon to be with him, it’s good enough. Jaehwan used to spend the full moon with family, with a pack of sorts but for now, he is alone until he returns to the loner pack.

  


“Take it before you turn,” Wonshik says, pressing the bottle to Jaehwan’s hand as they lie down in the tent. “It will help you to keep your mind and recover quicker after your transformation.”

  


Jaehwan blinks at it, shaking the bottle a little and smiles softly, tucking it underneath the pillow they lie on. There’s more than enough blankets for them both and Jaehwan smells like the woods, smells like the earth just outside and Wonshik didn’t know that could be so comforting. 

  


They’re on a time crunch to prepare but it’s okay. For now, they sleep next to each other, one night before the full moon.

  
  


***

  
  


Jaehwan said he wouldn’t come and find Wonshik. It’s logical, in the long run and during the day, Wonshik and Yongguk, along with a few other witches, set up their works around the woods. During the full moon, wolves run rampant through the territory and if they don’t close off the surrounding of the woods, the neighbouring villages and towns are in danger. Wonshik doesn’t need another incident of Taekwoon screaming at him because half of his town was attacked by werewolves.

  


Wonshik does what he can and Jaehwan took the rest of his wolfsbane to the loner pack in hopes of helping them as well. It’s all Wonshik could have done for any of them and Yongguk tells him it was the wisest thing to do.

  


The sun sets when they finish and Wonshik takes himself back down to the town. Taekwoon is inside the church when he sees him, inviting him inside before the ghouls rise and offering him to sleep in the cathedral dorms for the night. Wonshik declines but hugs him close, warning him of not only the ghouls but the werewolves as well.

  


“The witches and I warded off the woods,” Wonshik says as he pulls away. “I only came to tell you. I’ll be awake all night if you need me, should anything happen, but I doubt it.”

  


Taekwoon nods and thinks for a moment before blinking at him, tilting his head like Jaehwan did only days before. “Did something happen?” he asks softly and Wonshik only smiles.

  


“I met someone nice,” Wonshik answers as he turns to leave. “It’s better now. I hope he makes it out alright.”

  


“I’ll pray for him.” Taekwoon’s voice is soft, comforting. Familiar in a way Wonshik somehow missed in his week away. “Was he a werewolf?”

  


“The only I’ve met.” Wonshik takes a breath as he opens the cathedral doors with Taekwoon’s help. “I hope I see him again, actually. He has my clothes.”

  


Taekwoon raises one perfect eyebrow in suspicion. “I’m sure that’s the only reason.” He slaps Wonshik’s back when the witch grins at him. 

  


He returns home when the sun finally drops below the horizon and locks his doors when he hears the first howl.

  
  


***

  
  


Wonshik returns to the woods a few weeks later, after the full moon. The next one will be soon too and when he steps into the woods, he is immediately calmed by it all in the strangest way. 

  


He heads back to where he stayed before, casting his senses out again. He doesn’t intend to stay for long but it’s been enough time for Jaehwan’s transformation to wear off. He just hopes the werewolf is okay, that the wolfsbane worked and he’s not injured.

  


He does sense wolves but different ones. He hears some nearby and frowns, closing his eyes. There’s more than he last sensed but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. There will be another full moon in a week or so and Wonshik only came for one thing.

  


He sees more with his senses than in front of him and when he hears rustling behind him, he returns to himself as best as he can and braces himself for the impact of who he hopes is Jaehwan but it never comes. There’s something else and Wonshik opens his eyes to three wolves further ahead, their attention focused solely on him. 

  


Their eyes glint with something Wonshik doesn’t recognise but he does recognise Jaehwan nearby. His senses recognise him and he feels him come up besides him, close and strong. It’s only when he feels Jaehwan’s fur against his hand does he turn and look at the wolf who is easily his height, even in wolf form. He growls, at the other wolves, circling around Wonshik and dropping into a offensive stance, his teeth on full display.

  


Wonshik doesn’t really understand any of it but he feels it’s right to place his hand on Jaehwan’s scuff, to at least show some familiarity and the wolves back off, growling deep in their throats before swiftly turning and disappearing further into the woods.

  


“That felt like a territory war,” Wonshik says once they’re gone, smiling at Jaehwan’s face. He presses his snout to Wonshik’s cheek in greeting, making him laugh. “What was it? Did you tell them you know me?”

  


Jaehwan tilts his head, unable to talk in this form. He looks around before it occurs to Wonshik to try a spell. He’s never had to communicate with animals much before and for some witches, it comes naturally but for good measure, he uses a language spell as well as a mind connection one. Jaehwan shakes his massive head at the effects of it but his voice fills Wonshik’s head in seconds, both of them relieved.

  


_ In a way, _ he answers, sitting down. It’s more lounging than anything and Wonshik sits next to him, leaning on his side.  _ It was more so showing them that you… belong to me? As in, you aren’t a threat. You’re my responsibility. _

  


“I think it’s the other way around.” Even in Jaehwan’s wolf form, he manages to huff and look away as if he’s embarrassed and Wonshik smiles, scratching behind his ear. “But how have you been? I would have come sooner but I wasn’t sure if you had recovered. There will be another full moon soon.”

  


Jaehwan’s tail wags at the affection he’s receiving.  _ There will be. There are new wolves coming and going. Some are yet to experience their first turning. Do you have anymore wolfsbane? I’d like it for them. _

  


“It’s not hard to make,” Wonshik says, smiling. “I can make some. But Yongguk is nearby too, and he’d be happy to help if I’m not here.”

  


Jaehwan curls himself around Wonshik, his tail over Wonshik’s legs and he lays his snout on the ground, closing his eyes.  _ I trust you. You didn’t hurt me before when you very well could have. For that, I trust you. I don’t want potions from another witch. _

  


Wonshik feels something move through his chest at those words. It’s starting to get cold but he moves as close as he can to Jaehwan and leans on him, content with it all. It’s satisfying to know that Jaehwan trusts him, trusts him enough to ask for wolfsbane for the coming full moon. They’ve barely spoken aside from their first meeting and meeting together but Jaehwan is friendly and offered him protection when Wonshik offered him kindness. It’s a push and pull between them, between one being to another and Wonshik closes his eyes, basking in Jaehwan’s presence because he feels safe. It’s as simple as that; Jaehwan makes him feel safe.

  


“Come find me after the full moon,” Wonshik says quietly, playing with the fur he can reach. “In town. I’ll show you how I make the potions, maybe. If you’d like.”

  


Jaehwan manages to hum, content.  _ It could be boring and you would make it interesting. You’re smart. It’s refreshing. _

  


“You think so?”

  


_ I like it. It’s… It’s nice to have someone to talk to who isn’t a wolf. Someone who wants to understand, I think. You don’t experience any of it, but you want to know. It’s better than the treatment we’ve received in the past from humans. _

  


“People are scared,” Wonshik whispers, pressing his hand to Jaehwan’s fur. “Especially when there’s werewolf attacks during full moons. I don’t blame them for being scared but it’s only because some of you are young. You can’t control yourselves yet.”

  


_ It takes a long time to learn. _ Jaehwan’s reply is curt, closed off. Wonshik decides it’s better not to respond and wraps his arms around Jaehwan’s neck, hugging him as best as he can but he’s mostly just hugging Jaehwan’s shoulder because he’s so big.

  


_ You’re sweet,  _ Jaehwan laughs in reply, humming when Wonshik scratches at his fur.  _ Thank you for checking on me. I didn’t think you would. I thought I’d forget your scent so when I sensed you, I came running. _

  


“You think about me a lot?” Wonshik can’t help but tease. He’s thought about Jaehwan a lot in the past weeks.

  


_ Every day.  _

  


Wonshik hums this time, closing his eyes again and holding Jaehwan as close as he can, even in the dropping temperature. Jaehwan is warm and it’s all he needs.

  
  


***

  
  


The full moon comes faster than they thought. Wonshik made the wolfsbane, made as much as he could and gave it to Jaehwan, who accepted it with a kiss on his cheek, smiling when Wonshik flushed. That was two days ago and when Wonshik hears the first howl, he hopes Jaehwan is okay. 

  


Realistically, he knows he will be. Jaehwan is smart and transforms the day of a full moon, before it gets too painful and maddening to stay in his human form. He warned Wonshik of the newer wolves being hard to control and Wonshik passed the message along to Yongguk’s town as well as his own.

  


The ghouls are surprisingly quiet tonight. Wonshik watches as Taekwoon locks the doors of the cathedral, casting him one more solemn look before he disappears inside, along with some of the townspeople. Wonshik doesn’t think much of it but he hopes that tonight won’t be as bloody as one might think.

  


Young wolves are hard to control but in the presence of a pack, their first turning can be easier. If they are surrounded by wolves, older ones that know their pain, it can strengthen them in a way. It’s simpler but still painful. It’s the least they can do but younger wolves are more vicious, even if they are in the right environment.

  


Jaehwan said there were three. They know what they’re supposed to do and he made sure they took the wolfsbane Wonshik made, in hopes that it would keep them calm rather than savage after turning. Wonshik can only hope that much as well.

  


He doesn’t sleep. He hardly ever sleeps during a full moon. He’s not as bad as Taekwoon, nowhere close but he’s nervous. He told Jaehwan to find him after the full moon and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. He wants Jaehwan to be okay and realistically, he will be. He’s an older wolf, one with experience and strength. Wonshik takes a deep breath and tries to distract himself.

  


It’s dawn when he hears a knock at the back door of his little cottage. For a moment, he thinks it might be Taekwoon but he knows that’s his rational mind talking. He doesn’t bother trying to check who it is because he can sense it’s Jaehwan and he can sense that he’s hurt. His skin stings where Jaehwan is cut and Wonshik swallows his pain and opens the door.

  


Jaehwan still manages to smile at him even with blood crusted to his face and Wonshik barely talks as he sits him down and starts to do what he does best: heal.

  


Jaehwan doesn’t speak, even when his face is clean of blood and Wonshik has pulled the bruises from his face with his magic. He winces when the needle passes through his arm and his eye twitches when Wonshik leans close to stitch his eyebrow. He’s not badly hurt but it’s a lot more than Wonshik would ever expect but he knows why. Young wolves are vicious no matter what and Jaehwan is lucky to have gotten away with this many wounds. 

  


“They didn’t mean it,” he says, his heart still kind and Wonshik knows that. He  _ knows _ that but he can’t help but feel angry. It’s only when Jaehwan grabs his wrist when he tries to leave that he exhales, closing his eyes as Jaehwan presses his forehead to Wonshik’s.

  


“I’m not dying,” he says, a little teasingly and Wonshik snorts, his tension ebbing away just from Jaehwan’s presence. “I’m fine and you can see that. You healed me.”

  


“You’re far from  _ fine _ ,” Wonshik manages before Jaehwan rolls his eyes and pulls him closer. It’s comfortable, more than anything else and Wonshik is relieved that Jaehwan is okay. It’s a strange way to spend the rest of the night but Jaehwan lies his head on Wonshik’s chest, keeping him close and unable to move.

  


“Thank you for coming to me,” Wonshik says after a while, his heart speeding up when Jaehwan hums, mindful of his claws. He sits up and even though his eyebrow is split but slowly healing, he looks beautiful. He is a werewolf in every sense of the word but he’s stunning, his hair a little mused and his eyes yellow and  _ electric _ .

  


“I would have come even if I was dying,” Jaehwan says, leaning his forehead back onto Wonshik’s, holding himself above him.

  


“I should fucking hope so,” Wonshik replies, stunned because who the hell else would Jaehwan go to if he was dying? He should hope that Jaehwan would come to him so he could heal him but Jaehwan laughs at his reaction, reaching his hand up and placing it on Wonshik’s cheek. That shuts him up easily and Jaehwan smiles, his claws curling a little around Wonshik’s ear as he tucks his long hair behind it but it’s not a threat. Jaehwan would never hurt him.

  


Wonshik’s hand touches his when it’s on his cheek and Jaehwan smiles, happiness evident on his face and when he kisses Wonshik, they both can’t help but smile at it. It’s two worlds colliding even though they aren’t too different from each other but Wonshik is just happy that Jaehwan is okay, that he is safe and protected

  


He sits up a little too quickly, knocking Jaehwan’s forehead with his own and the werewolf hisses when his eyebrow is irritated but Wonshik holds him close, holds him tight and kisses his face and wherever he can reach until Jaehwan cups his face and kisses him properly, full of affection and fondness. Wonshik is mindful of the scratches on Jaehwan’s back, placing his hands over them and letting his magic do its work in the back of his mind, healing and jump starting Jaehwan’s nerves to get the job done quicker.

  


The werewolf shivers in his grasp at the feeling, pausing for breath and Wonshik lets him, soothing his hands over the abrasions. Jaehwan smiles, a soft and delicate thing, playing with Wonshik’s hair as he slowly recovers right then and there, in the comfort of their own space and in Wonshik’s arms.

  


“You said when I went to you again that I belonged to you,” Wonshik says and even now, it makes Jaehwan blush. “Did you mean that?”

  


“You do.” Jaehwan swallows, shifting a little. “It’s… I don’t know how to explain it in a way that doesn’t sound-”

  


“Like star crossed lovers?” 

  


Jaehwan scowls but ends up wincing at his eyebrow when he pulls on it wrongly. Wonshik kisses around it, to not disrupt it and Jaehwan smiles at him, a little dazed but fine. “Do you know of imprinting?” At Wonshik’s nod, Jaehwan purses his lips. “It’s a little like that, I suppose. Between a wolf and a human, it’s more so like, ‘This one is my responsibility.’ Especially since you were in my territory when another pack didn’t know. If I hadn’t shown up, they would have attacked you.”

  


Wonshik nods along, leaving his magic to heal Jaehwan’s back as he speaks but it’s over soon enough and Jaehwan sighs, clearly feeling better already. “Imprinting is like soulmates, though, is it not?”

  


“In fiction,” Jaehwan answers, a little shy. “It can be anything, really. Imprinting is just a word for it. It’s protection in its rawest form, actually. Protection means everything to us and it’s not often that we give it freely. But you gave me kindness when I was struggling and we spoke about close things. You gave me the remedies without asking for anything in return. You’re trustworthy and I grew to like you very much.”

  


“I grew to like you, too,” Wonshik laughs, grinning when Jaehwan tucks his face into his neck, leaving a kiss there. It’s calming to have him so close and his warmth is the same as it is when he is a wolf. Wonshik holds him, mindful of his back and lies back down, smiling at the featherlight kisses Jaehwan leaves along his strong, down his neck, wherever he can reach.

  


“When the next full moon comes, what will you do?” he whispers, scared of the answer but there is nothing either of them can do for each other.

  


“I'll come back to you,” Jaehwan says, leaning up to promise it into Wonshik’s lips. “I'll keep them away from you and when it’s over, I’ll come back to you.”

  


“You better come back to me.” Wonshik’s threat fulls a little flat but it makes Jaehwan grin, stupid and boyish and it makes him kiss him again because right now, it is only them. They have their own little world and it belongs to them and only them. 

  


It’s too soon for soulmates and Wonshik won't try and kid himself in that belief but Jaehwan feels like a home away from home, safety in human form and strength in mind. Jaehwan is solid and in his grasp and more beautiful than anything Wonshik could ever dream of. He is everything but Wonshik still wants more and he takes what Jaehwan gives him, holding him close like he’ll disappear if he doesn't because Jaehwan is extraordinary, so much so that he cannot be real.

  


But he is and he proves it to Wonshik in his touch, in his breath and Wonshik shows him what he is worth in human terms and it is simply love. Jaehwan could tear this house apart, could murder thousands and never get tired but he is terribly human at the same time in a way Wonshik has never experienced. He is dangerous and yet Wonshik will never stop wanting him for as long as he lives.

  


“You're beautiful,” he whispers, Jaehwan below him now because Wonshik surprised him with his own strength. He means it because Jaehwan is with his hair fanned out on the pillow, his lips red and glistening from Wonshik’s attention, his yellow eyes alight in the darkness of their room.

  


Jaehwan blinks before he smiles, so clearly in love. “So are you,” he answers, just for Wonshik to hear and he doesn't protest when Jaehwan pulls him down for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u enjoyed!! pt 1 is luck and idk why this is listed as pt 3 its pt 2 
> 
> my [twitter](https://twitter.com/RAVITHCRACKKIDZ)


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